Global Sustainable Mobility
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| In April, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) holds its 2007 World Congress, and the theme is "Engineering for Global Sustainable Mobility—It's Up to Us." The Congress, which takes place over four days, will be an opportunity for automotive engineers from all over the world to expand their knowledge and participate in the exchange of ideas that will shape the industry and, in some measure, the future of the world we live in.
SAE chose this year's theme because of its relevance to the most pressing needs of those it serves, the industry, the government, and the public. Steve Matsil, vice-chair of SAE's Motor Vehicle Council, addressing the challenges that lie ahead for automotive engineering, said, "We have to move in a direction that allows us to have diversity in terms of our propulsion systems, and it appears to me that by looking at alternative fuels, embracing hybrids that really stretch the fuel economy, and ultimately perhaps, migrating away from oil and looking at hydrogen-fueled vehicles, that we might be able to make a big difference in the total amount of emissions produced annually."
This direction, almost everyone agrees, is both laudable and imperative, but as Matsil points out, it cannot be achieved immediately.
"It's a long journey," he says, "because, as it turns out, gasoline and diesel-powered internal combustion engines—as dirty as they were (they have improved fuel efficiency and gotten cleaner in terms of emissions in recent years)—are a hard act to follow. But I think if we're going to make a difference, we will have to quickly supplement our traditional oil supply with alternate fuels, like ethanol made from soy or other grown or produced products, and biodiesel, B20 blends for diesel engines. Also, integrating more and more fuel efficient innovation into the powertrains, like gas and diesel hybrids and plug-in electric propulsion systems will allow us to really stretch that gallon of fuel and reduce tailpipe emissions. That's where the industry needs to go, I think, to support this country's need to become energy independent and, very importantly, our absolute need to pay attention to the environment and make a positive contribution in reducing greenhouses gases. We are pretty much aligned along the need to do it; the question is, how do you do it?"
In the effort to achieve the goal of global sustainable mobility, the role of SAE, and specifically the Motor Vehicle Council, is to serve its customers by providing technical reports, information reports, recommended practices, and standards that strategically guide the automotive industry.
Matsil believes that it is always "a more cost effective and practical solution" for industry to step in ahead of regulatory agencies to establish engineering priorities, but he also acknowledges that the effort of the federal government to continually tighten emissions standards places an urgent burden on industry to meet the technological challenges presented by compliance. Those challenges often spur innovation and invention. "For example," cites Matsil, "in January of this year, diesel engine manufacturers were required to meet very stringent tailpipe emissions standards requiring the inclusion of diesel particulate filters, oxidizing converters, and other technology, including advanced combustion control, to significantly reduce nitrous oxide gasses and diesel particulates to levels that have never ever been achieved in production vehicles."
Yet, for all its success, this advance comes at a cost. "For a typical 7500 series medium-duty truck," says Matsil, "it could cost the purchaser an additional $5,000 to purchase this vehicle. It's painful, but if you look at the difference it makes in terms of what's coming out of the tailpipe, whether the temperature is hot or cold outside, it doesn't matter, there's no visible smoke coming out of these new emission-compliant-engines."
This kind of progress validates the phrase "It's Up to Us" in the title of this year's congress. Automotive engineers innovate and invent their way to solutions that meet the needs of the industry and the world. And as Matsil points out, it is a continuous process. More innovation will be necessary to meet 2010 diesel emission standards for "almost immeasurable amounts" of nitrous oxide coming out of the tailpipe, one of many incremental steps toward the goal of global sustainable mobility.
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